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Tag: Kagame

  • Kagame aims to combat witchcraft in Rwandan football

    Kagame aims to combat witchcraft in Rwandan football

    President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has urged for immediate action to tackle various issues affecting Rwandan football, including the presence of witchcraft.

    During a televised session titled “Ask the President” with the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA), President Kagame expressed his concern about unethical practices, particularly among coaches, such as witchcraft and bribery.

    Rather than focusing on proper training and development, some individuals resort to these unethical practices, which President Kagame identified as a pressing matter that needs to be addressed.

    Despite significant investments in the sports sector, Rwandan teams have faced challenges in achieving success. The national football team, for instance, has qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations only once, in 2004, and currently sits at the bottom of their qualifying group, yet to secure a victory.

    Known for his passion for football and his support for the English club Arsenal, President Kagame has been actively involved in promoting sports in Rwanda. Since 2018, Rwanda’s Tourism Authority has maintained a controversial sponsorship deal worth £30 million ($42 million) with Arsenal Football Club.

  • Freed “Hotel Rwanda” hero, Paul Rusesabagina, lands in Qatar

    Freed “Hotel Rwanda” hero, Paul Rusesabagina, lands in Qatar

    Following his release on Friday after more than 900 days in prison, opposition leader from Rwanda Paul Rusesabagina has arrived in Qatar.

    In 2021, he was sentenced to 25 years in jail over his ties to a group opposed to Rwandan President Paul Kagame, that has an armed wing.

    A permanent resident of the United States, his release came after months of negotiations between Washington and Kigali.

    The 68-year-old former hotelier inspired the Hollywood film, “Hotel Rwanda” about his role in saving the lives of hundreds of people fleeing Hutus during the 1994 genocide against Tutsis.

    He became a fierce critic of Kagame and formed his own political party. In 1996, he left Rwanda for Belgium but his family said he was tricked into taking a flight in 2020 that was diverted to Kigali.

    Reportedly in fragile health, diplomats have told the AFP that he is to undergo medical checks and rest before flying to the United States on Wednesday.

  • DR Congo leader using crisis to delay polls – Kagame

    The Rwandan president has accused his Democratic Republic of Congo counterpart of “trying to find a way to have the next elections postponed” by implicating Rwanda in the country’s crisis.

    President Paul Kagame accused the Congolese leader Félix Tshisekedi of creating “grounds for an emergency so that [next year’s] elections don’t take place”.

    Kinshasa hasn’t immediately responded to President Kagame’s remarks, who without presenting facts said Congolese president didn’t win “the first elections”.

    In a lengthy rare speech on Thursday in parliament, Mr Kagame said it was a “shame” many parties and countries “claim to want to resolve the problem” that has remained for decades.

    He cautioned powerful countries, mentioning the US, UK, France, and the UN, of accusing or believing that Rwanda was to blame on the instabilities in eastern Congo. He accused UN forces of failing to eradicate the Rwandan rebel group – FDLR – and others operating in DR Congo.

    He also denied claims that Rwanda was stealing minerals from DR Congo.

    “One thing we are not, we are not thieves,” he said.

    “They are accusing us of stealing Congo’s minerals how about the destination?” he questioned.

    Mr Kagame said the M23 rebels were not Rwandans but Congolese, blaming their insurgency on the Kinshasa government for not respecting previous agreements with the group.

    He said Rwanda could help to address the problem of M23 and other rebel groups “because we are interested in a stable neighbourhood”.

    Source: BBC

  • DR Congo crisis: Kagame, Tshisekedi invited for talks

    Angolan President João Lourenço has invited the leaders of Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda for talks on Wednesday to discuss rebel activity in eastern DR Congo.

    The talks in Luanda will also be attended by Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye and former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta, the state-owned new agency, Angop, says.

    Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the M23 rebels that now control a significant area of North Kivu province in eastern Congo. Kigali has continuously denied the allegations.

    Two previous meetings this year between Congolese Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame had no remarkable results as tensions continue to grow.

    President Ndayishimiye, the current chair of the East African Community, has told France24 that “agreeing to sit together is a big step”.

    “So far we haven’t made a decision on a regional level, or my-self” about Kinshasa allegations against Kigali, Mr Ndayishimiye told the French broadcaster, adding that they will have an “opportunity to analyse” them in Luanda.

    Regional leaders have been calling for peace talks between the Congolese government and armed groups operating in eastern Congo.

    Kinshasa has said it will not negotiate with M23 rebels unless they lay down arms and withdraw from areas they have captured.

    An M23 spokesperson has told the BBC the group “will not withdraw an inch” from their positions.

    Source: BBC